Wheetsin

If you have sensitive skin be careful what treatments you use. I have really sensitive skin and I can't come within 10 feet of tea tree oil. If I put it on, within an hour or two my skin looks like it is burned... red, raw, covered with crusty "dead" skin like scales, and it really hurts & itches. Horrible. I can use stuff like Oxy10 cream (my skin is so oily that I will use that stuff in lieu of foundation), but I can't use it every day, once or twice a week. I use, love, and would recommend a product made by a company... it's called something like Desert Essence... Desert Essentials... something like that. Anyway, they have a "blemish stick" that's great! Oh, and anything Burt's Bees does well with my skin too, and always Aveeno moisturizer, I like it more than the $$ beauty counter brands UI always used to buy.

That's a question only you can answer. No one else can tell you whether or not it is the right decision for you.

I don't now but did for about 3 years. The routine is very easy, IMO not strenuous at all, so I would repeat it 3x (90 mins total) 4x weekly so that I'd get longevity in lieu of breaking a sweat. It's true that at Curves you can't just add more weight, but you can push/pull harder. I would get on the machines & wail. Others would get on the machines & try to do as few reps as possible until the signal to switch came on. It's a good beginner's workout. I believe that you do get out of it what you put in. It gets you moving, but it doesn't provide a full spectrum of cardio & weight resistance.

IMO - that statement above is not accurate. 1,000 calories is considered the threshold for the "starvation" signal to the body, and most BMRs (basal metabolic rate -- the number of calories your body needs to do nothing) are above 1,000 calories. Metabolism will still work - your body will still break down food/nutrients into energy. As long as you're alive, you wil metabolize, so I'm guessing what your doctor meant was that 1,000 calories is needed to keep your metabolism active, not "working".

I had my consultation earlier this week. When I asked what band my surgeon would use, he told me he couldn't be sure until he "got in there", but that he would guess a Vanguard 10cc band. As I've been reading through stories of his past patients, there seems to be a trend among them that the more weight you have to lose, the higher capacity band you receive. Does anyone know if this is just me seeing a relationship that isn't there, or if that does have something to do with it?

That's no fun. I tore a ligament (meniscus - inner side of the knee) in 1993 and still have pain from it - sometimes full re-tears. Be sure to take care of it now, the initial healing is the most important. Be sure to do what your doc advised & not push it - the rest of your life will thank you.

1. I've obviously not been banded, but I have asked this while on diets & losing weight. I honestly never thought twice about it. I took it as a sign of their interest in what I was doing, just like when they would ask me, "How does that diet work?" or "How long have you been on it?" Definitely to me more of a "Wow, how is it working?" question that snopping, prying, rude... whatever. 2. I would have to paste what Alexandra said in big bold letters. I'm in 100% agreement. I don't like to make any of my lifestyle choices topics of conversation. I'm a very strong introvert & prefer to remain behind the scenes whenever possible. For someone to give me that much attention would just make things unbearably uncomfortable for me. When I have friends who are needy in this regard, I have to make a conscious effort to remember to give them the compliments, and I often forget completely - only to be told later that it hurt their feelings that I wasn't more supportive. 3. Have you said something to them? A behavior isn't going to change if the people displaying the behavior don't know that it's inappropriate. In my family/friends, this would be no big deal because we're open like that. If someone wants a bite of something on my plate, they know that they're welcome to it. A friend of mine from work had RNY. There were 3 of us who would eat Breakfast & lunch together most days. The third of us, known to be a "scab" (as we called it on the west coast) eventually topped ordering their own food alltogether, assuming they would get a meal by eating what my RNY friend could not finish. THAT did bother me, but it would not bother me for someone who ordered something & wanted a bite of mine to help themselves. Just offering some different perspectives.

Something else I read here.. it's true that a small percentage of the population is audited, but it's also true that there are certain red flags that can virtually guarantee you will be audited, if present with other influencing factors. HIgh deductions after an established history without is one of those flags. In other words, to some degree, the IRS has "formulas" they use to determine, in part, who they will audit. A + B + C = likely audit. For example, my in-laws wanted to give DH a large cash sum as a gift, but they live overseas so it was going to be subject to some unusual tax liability. The amount was over $30k, and anything over $10k is 1) tracked and 2) has to be claimed. Our accountant assured us this was one of the flags the IRS uses for audit. We found a perfectly legal way around it, but I would have to strongly advise against "it's only a problem if you're audited" if it's something that is not true, if anyone is considering that. Major major fines & penalties waiting for situations like that.

I emailed this question to a friend of mine and her answer is no. She is a CPA and has done taxes for over 20 years. You can ask your accountant or tax person when you get yours done to be sure.

Do you work for H&RB field or corporate? I was at corporate for several years, just left for another company this year. Still have many friends there.

Oh man.. the ones with caramel on top, & chocolate stripes... that's a box full of solid happiness.

Barrett's esophagus - my grandfather had that. Pre-cancerous changes to the esophagus that can progress to esophageal cancer. He got his from GERD - he had it way back when they didnt know what it was. Nasty stuff, I'm so sorry to hear that you're having to deal with it. No fun.

I'm a diver, and scary enough - I can relate.

I start to retain water 6 days before I start, and I gain 8# every time. I lose it starting 4 days out. That's the day I have to pee non-stop!

I followed the induction phase of Atkins to the letter for 14 months. I lost a total of 98 lbs. The majority of your weight loss on Atkins during the first two weeks will be Water weight. Of course, there are exceptions to this. Typically during the third week your body is regulating itself and not much happens, and fat begins to burn during the 4th week. Since you're only talking about a month, if you're just looking to remove weight, it will do that. If you're looking to remove fat, you will want to watch your calories & workout.

What's a cheese curd? Is that like cottage cheese? Never heard of it.

Ground flax seed. Will accomplish the same as psyllium husks (I just prefer the taste of flax) and 100% fiber.

So no one is right, no one is wrong, and everyone just needs to do what they have to in order to keep their bodies hydrated & working. Easy 'nuff.

Nevermind, I got an immediate call back letting me know they follow whatever the carrier's policy is, and that I probably received a form letter designed to cover people whose employers don't always follow the carrier's policy. I love easy answers.

When I received notice of my approval, it was via phone. I didn't get the letter until several days later. Now that I have paid more attention to the letter, I have some questions. It basically says "We approve & will cover everything, but your employer might not." I have no idea how the insurance bus. works (ironically, that's the bus I support!). If I have policy X, and the carrier of policy X approves something, what does my employer have to do with it? How do I find out if my employer will "allow" my procedure to be covered? Ack, so confused... BTW, I am working with my company's HR to find out more, but we're a huge company and it's not as easy as calling a rep... I have to wait for someone to call me back, and that's just to get emplyee info.

Hi Kryssa, don't forget the first part of my post - "I have over 10 years' worth of under- and post- graduate study in psychology..." I wasn't intending to say the answer to these questions are based in vanity - I hope I wasn't taken that way!!! My point was - those questions are my inital reaction to seeing someone because my nature it to evaluate the situation. It doesn't take much to know the answers to those questions... psychologists don't have magical powers or crystal balls, they just have insight to how people work. People know why they do what they do, even if they can't see the connection yet, the knowledge is still there. Sorry if I offended in any way.

Just my 2 cents, but I had a lengthy discussion about this with my PCP when I was on Atkins. I am an avid water drinker, I prefer plain water to flavored, but I still asked the question. From what I was told, and we talked for a good 30 - 45 mins about this, WATER counts as water: not lemonade, not spritzer, not tea... water.

I just found this thread. Admittedly I have not read all of it, but I've read enough to intrigue me. I think my perceptions are a little different, but that's because of my beliefs & the things that I have been exposed to. For anyone bothered to read this, keep in mind that I have over 10 years' worth of under- and post- graduate study in psychology and philosophy. By definition, I will see things differently because of that. I guess you're in for a little Angela 101! I don't easily become emotionally invested in things that I cannot effect. And to a fault, I see both sides to just about every story, even if the situation involves me directly. This relates back to my emotional investment: not having any allows you to remain objective. To a fault, because sometimes people who trust my opinion come to me and want me to "take their side" - and I just don't do it, and that has caused some challenges in my relationships with people. Don't get me wrong, I certainly do have my passions, but most of my interactions & perceptions are based on understanding, not evaluating or valuing. I have not been fat all of my life. I started getting chubby in early highschool. I was fat but not FAT when I graduated highschool. Thinned down a little when I started college. Ballooned up during my last 2 years of undergrad. I have experienced first-hand the way that people's treatment of you shifts based on your outward appearance. And, likewise, I have seen the shift in my self-esteem, and have seen my self-esteem lessen to the point where I begin to believe, "Why should I bother with make-up? It's certainly beyond helping me at this point." And I have seen my self-esteem lessen as I've had to step out of the clothing I *like*, and step into the clothing that *fits*. When I see a fat person, I see a person. Yeah, there's more of that person, but it doesn't matter. Obviously they're different, but that only means as much as you let it mean, and to me - it doesn't mean anything. Why would it? What business of mine is it? It's like seeing a person who is not caucasian. I don't buy into the "we're all one color" crap. Of course we're not all one color. But it doesn't matter. I do advocate greatly for human rights, and there's a good chance I would become emotionally invested if I saw a wrong being enacted against an obese (or any other) person, but just to see someone on the street -- it's just another person. But if I'm going to judge someone, it's much much more likely to happen as a result of their actions than of their appearance. In the most extreme cases I might react to evaluate what is happening. For example, when people-watching, if I see a MO person, I think, "I wonder what has happened in their lives that led to this? I wonder what they're trying to protect themselves from? I wonder what they think when they look in the mirror? I wonder what their life has been like?" And I often know the answers to those questions, or at least have a really good guess, but I would never ever use that to judge someone's worth, because who am I? The mere fact that someone could use such as a strong word as "hate", and especially apply it to themselves, reveals so much. People know what's up. People know their reasons for things. When you go to a psychologist, they don't teach you anything. They may help you feel more prepared to really see it, but they aren't telling you anything you don't know.

So I'm scheduled for 3/1. Except for when I was like 1 y/o I've never had surgery, and never any anesthesia aside from lidocane shots. I'm really anxious about the whole thing. The doc told me I'd have general anesthesia with a breathing tube down my throat. I asked him, "Eh, that comes out before I wake up, right?" and he answered, "You won't remember it." At the time I was so busy trying to remember all my other questions that I didn't pursue the topic, but there's a big difference between "you'll still be asleep" and "you won't remember it"! So - when you had your surgery, what happened? I've read lots and lots of "arrived, got prepped..." but nothing in any kind of detail. What exactly did they do, and what do you remember when you woke up? I just can't imagine what this will be like, it's almost surreal to me. Uh, yeah - I'm the patient who has to know exactly what they're doing and what I should expect, and won't hesitate to say, "Oh, woah - wait. Uh-uh. No. What are you doing now?" if I haven't been well-informed!

LB usually has some cute formals - trendy cuts, and no really big sleeves. http://lanebryant.charmingshoppes.com/Shopping/thumbnails.aspx?attr=904&whichpage=1 The good thing about LB is that they usually fit taller gals too (I'm 5'10 also)